Product Photo Clipping & Retouching

Clipping and retouching are the final edits needed for great product photographs.

General Info

Here are common product photography service definitions and explanations.

Corrections

Every photograph delivered is corrected by hand. Corrections include adjusting color, setting white balance, modifying exposure, improving clarity, adjusting contrast, and cropping images.

Corrections are always included in my standard pricing.

Clipping

Clipping is when a photograph is removed from the original background and placed on a blemish-free background.

Clipping services aren't included in my standard pricing.

This clipping service is typically required because product photography backgrounds are almost never perfectly white during capture. Also, I may sometimes include props, tools, reflectors, and stands in the frame that improve your product's appearance.

Using post-production software, a clipping path is drawn around the product. This path follows the product contours. After the path is created, the object is detached from the original background and placed on a perfectly white background.

You have three clipping service options.

1. Handle your clipping and retouching in-house.
2. Outsource your clipping and retouching.
3. Hire me for your clipping and retouching.

For your first option, your in-house graphics team can handle your clipping needs. If you don't have an in-house graphic artist, then your second and third option is to outsource the service.

Your second option is to send the images to a clipping service. You will contact the service, upload the images, manage the process, explain what you need, pay the service directly, and then review the final clipped images. Most clipping service companies charge $1 to $3 per clipped image. Two clipping service companies you might consider are Clipping Path India and Deepetch.

For your third option, I can manage your clipping job. If you want me to oversee that work personally and provide you with your final clipped images, then I charge $8 per delivered photo. That fee assumes simple clipping outlines typical of most products. However, complex outlines (like bicycles) or multiple objects in a single photo may cost more.

Example: Original Product (left) | Clipped Image (right)

Retouching

Retouching refers to the process of editing a photograph to remove imperfections. Some common tasks include adjusting color, exposure, highlights, and shadows.

Retouching services aren't included in my standard pricing.

Basic retouching includes minor work is typically $12 per delivered photo.

In the rare instance when advanced retouching is required, fees can range from $25 - $125 per delivered photo depending on the complexity of your request or requirement.

Example: Unretouched Product (left) | Retouched Product (right)

Compositing

In product photography, compositing is when 2 or more products are photographed separately and then combined into a single grouped image.

Basic compositing is usually $10 per finished photo.

• Weddings
• Portraits & Headshots
• Products